The role of octopamine and tyramine in Drosophila larval locomotion

Selcho, Mareike; Pauls, Dennis; Jundi, Basil el; Stocker, Reinhard F.; Thum, Andreas S.

doi:10.1002/cne.23152

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Journal article

The role of octopamine and tyramine in Drosophila larval locomotion

Selcho, Mareike Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland - Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany - Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany
Pauls, Dennis Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland - Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany - Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Germany
Jundi, Basil el Department of Biology, Lund University, Sweden
Stocker, Reinhard F. Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Thum, Andreas S. Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland - Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany

24.05.2012

Published in:

The Journal of Comparative Neurology. - 2012, vol. 520, no. 16, p. 3764-3785

English The characteristic crawling behavior of Drosophila larvae consists of a series of rhythmic waves of peristalsis and episodes of head swinging and turning. The two biogenic amines octopamine and tyramine have recently been shown to modulate various parameters of locomotion, such as muscle contraction, the time spent in pausing or forward locomotion and the initiation and maintenance of rhythmic motor patterns. By using mutants having altered octopamine and tyramine levels and by genetic interference with both systems we confirm that signaling of these two amines is necessary for larval locomotion. We show that a small set of about 40 octopaminergic/tyraminergic neurons within the ventral nerve cord is sufficient to trigger proper larval locomotion. Using single-cell clones, we describe the morphology of these neurons individually. Given various potential roles of octopamine and tyramine in the larval brain, such as locomotion, learning and memory, stress-induced behaviors or the regulation of the energy state, functions which are often not easy to discriminate, we dissect here for the first time a subset of this complex circuit that modulates specifically larval locomotion. Thus, these data will help to understand – for a given neuronal modulator - how specific behavioral functions are executed within distinct sub-circuits of a complex neuronal network.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences et de médecine

Department

Département de Biologie

Language